(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

In 1942, as the Japanese sweep towards northern Australia and allied troops swarm into Townsville, Kitty Martin is sent inland to the safety of Moonlight Plains. But when two American airmen crash on the isolated property, she is forced to grow up fast, coming face to face with tragedy, with falling in love… and with heartbreak.
Years on, and Sally Piper, a young journalist, is sent out to Moonlight Plains to cover the story of a cattleman turned builder who is restoring his grandmother's old forgotten homestead. Sparks fly between them, but Sally is struggling to let go of the past, and Luke has his eyes fixed firmly on the future.
What they uncover together is a shocking secret that has been kept safe for more than seventy years. Now the entire family's happiness is at stake – or does the truth about the past hold a valuable lesson for the future?

Two dual narratives - one historical, one contemporary - takes the reader on a journey to Moonlight Plains. One story follows the story of Kitty, sent there at the start of WW2, and the love and heartbreak she experiences. The second, modern story, is about Sally and Luke - a reporter and her subject. Their story is a little less interesting but I always feel that in these dual narrative tales. The history always interests me more. Having said that, the contemporary story is perfectly fine. I just don't get as invested in modern romance stories.

As I said, the historical aspect to this story is its biggest positive for me. From the moment Kitty comes into contact with US airmen, Ed Langley and Bobby Kowalski, her story truly takes off into one of love found, love lost, heartbreak and secrets. Now, the blurb mentions a "shocking secret" - and I was true to a point - but the secret wasn't really hard to guess. Not that this is being sold as a mystery novel but I would have liked it to be a little more, I don't know, secretive???

As for the rest of the story, the contemporary love story was a little dull for me (not that it made that much of a difference in my thoughts of the book. However, if the historical story hadn't grabbed me, the review could have been far different!) and I didn't really feel for either Sally or Luke. I mean, I understood their stories and their motivations...I guess you could say I just didn't really like them. Not in the same way I liked Kitty. There was something about her that carried the story for me.

One thing I think I would have appreciated more was the approach to the style of this book. I found that the back-and-forth of the narrative made the story seem a little disjointed and allowed for the "secret" to be guessed easily. I would have preferred a "then-and-now" style. We could have got Kitty's story in one go, as well as Sally and Luke's (which may have made it more interesting), and the stuff we learned early on may have not been as memorable by the time we got the end of the book.

However, that sounds like a lot of negative but it truly isn't. This is a fabulous story - about love and loss, but as well as family and sacrifice. Set in a beautiful backdrop, this is a must read for fans of Australian fiction...


Paul
ARH